John p



J. P. LINDSAY.

STOCKING SUPPORTER.

No. 319,985. PatentedJune 16,1885.

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UNTTED STATES ATENT rrrcno JOHN P. LINDSAY, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

STOCKlNG-SUPPORTER.

$PECIPICATION forming. part of Letters Patent No. 319,985, dated June 16, 1885.

Application filed November I, 1881. (No model.)

Y0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. LINDSAY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stocking Supporters, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to that class of stockingsupporters which support the stocking by connecting it to some portion of the upper garments or to a belt passing around the waist of the wearer. The supporters of this class as heretofore constructed have usually'been made in one or the other of two forms. In one form the supporter consisted of awebbing strap, either plain or elastic,'which was provided at itsv upper end with suitable means by which it could be attached to an upper garment or to a belt passing around the waist of the wearer, and at its lower end with two branches, the ends of which were provided with some suitable means by which they could be attached to the opposite sides of the stocking-top. In the other form the supporter consisted of a single strap, which was doubled at the middle of its length and provided at that point with means for being attached to the clothing or the belt, and at its two ends with means for being attached to the opposite sides of the stocking-top. In each of these constructions it was necessary to provide means by which the length of the supporter could be adjusted to suit the wearer. In the first construction this was effected by means of a buckle located at the junction of the main strap and the bra'nches,while in the second construction the necessary adjustment was effected by means of a buckle, which was connected to the fastening device by which the supporter was attached to the clothing or the belt, and through which the bight of the doubled strap was passed. In the first construction the tendency of the branches, which passed partly around the leg and were attached to the opposite sides of the stocking, was to draw the adjustingbuckle against the leg of the wearer, thus causing the buckle to chafe the leg and become exceedingly uncomfortable. This objection is obviated in the second construction named;

but this construction is also objectionable, not only because of the extra amount of material required,which is a matter of the highest importance in view of the very small price at which these articles must necessarily be sold, but also because of the thick hard bunch formed at the upper end of the supporter by the adjusting buckle and the doubled end of the strap which passes through the same. This bunch being, as it necessarily is, at or near the waist oft-he wearer, is particularly objectionable, because, if the upper end of the supporter is fastened inside the corset the hunch is pressed into the flesh, and thus becomes exceedingly annoying, while, if the upper end of the supporter is fastened outside of the corset'the bunch tends to destroy the perfect fit of the dresswaist. This last construction is also objectionable because of the difficulty of adjusting the length of the supporter after its upper end has been secured in position.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome these objectionable features and to produce a stocking-supporter which will be more comfortable and convenient for the wearer than those heretofore in use, and also to so simplify the construction as to lessen the cost of production, and at the same time provide an article which is more certain and reliable in its operation.

To theseends one feature of my invention consists in dispensing with the adjustingbuckle at the junction of the main and branch straps of the first construct-ion described, simply uniting the branches to the main strap by sewing or otherwise, so as to make aperfectly smooth and flat connection, thus avoiding all tendency to chafe the leg at' that point.

To secure the proper adjustment of the length of the supporter, I provide the device by which the upper end of the main strap is secured to the clothing or belt with a doubleslotted slide, through which the main strap is passed so as to be retained in any position to which it is drawn. This constitutes another and the most important feature of my invention. By this means the double strap and the cumbersome buckle at the upper end of the supporter, as in the second construction, is dispensed with, thereby permitting the upper end of the supporter to be very thin and almost perfectly fiat and smooth. The employment of the double-slotted slide also permits the length of the supporter to be readily adjusted when in position upon the wearer. I further simplify and cheapen the supporter by doing away with the clasp or clip commonly used at the upper end of the supporter, and using in lieu thereof a simple safety-pin fastening, and this constitutes another of the separate features of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved stocking-sup porter. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a back view of a modified form of the safety-pin fastening.

Referring to said drawings, it is to be understood that A represents the safety'pin fastening device for securing the upper end of the supporter to the clothing or to a belt pass ing around the waist of the user, and a the double-slotted slide, which is secured to or made integral with the fastening device and affords means for effecting the proper adj ustment of the length of the supporter.

The safety-pin attaching device shown in the present case consists of athin metal plate, which extends upward from the slide a and is curved slightly outward, for a purpose that will be hereinafter explained, and has its extreme point (Z bent inward, so as to embrace and form a pivot for the pin 1). The pin 1) is formed of a piece of wire, which is pointed at both ends, passed through the pivot (l and bent down at right angles on both sides, so as to form a double-pin. The plate which forms the back of the pin is provided with two small projections, c, which are bent around to the back of the plate, so as to form catches and covers for the points of the pins. The curving outward of the plate which forms the back of the pin affords ample room hetween the pins and the back for that portion of the garment which is brought inside the pins. The plate which forms the back of the pin is cut away upon its sides, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the pins b can be readily pressed inward by the fingers to release there rom the catches 0, thus avoiding all danger of injuring the finger-nails in unfastening the pin. This is a feature of great importance.

. Fig. 3 shows a modified form of my safetypin fastening in which only a single pin is used. In this case the catch 0, instead of being bent around from the side of the plate which forms the back of the pin, is struck up from or attached to the body of said plate.

B represents the main strap of the supporter and B B the branches. The upper end of the main strap B passes through the double slots e e of the slide a, as follows: It is first passed outward through the upper slot, 6, and then back inward through the lower slot, 0, thus causing the free end to hang downward between the slide and the main part of the strap, so as to be securely held in place by friction. It will be seen that by this means the proper adjustment of the strap B can be readily effected, and also that no objectionable bunch is formed at the upper end of the supporter. The branches B B are provided at their lower ends with clasps b of the form shown in United States Letters Patent No. 206,803, or of any other suitable form by which they may be secured to the top of the stocking. The branches B B may be in one piece, folded and sewed or otherwise attached to the main strap B, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1; or one of the branches may be an extension of the main strap, the other being sewed or otherwise attached to it; or all these parts may be woven in one piece. In either case it will be seen that the point of junction between the main and branch straps is left smooth and flat, so that there is no tendency to chafe the leg of the wearer.

WVhat I claim is- 1. A stocking-supporter consisting of the branches B B, provided with fastening devices b, and the main strap B, provided with a fastening device having the double-slotted slide a for adjusting the length of the supporter at its upper end,substantially as described.

2. A stockingsupporter consisting of the branches B B, provided with fastening devices b, and the main strap B, provided with the double safety-pin A, having the slots 0 e for receiving the strap B to adjust the length of the supporter at its upper end, and having its back plate cut away at the sides to give access to the pins, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN I. LINDSAY.

\Vitnesses:

E. W. Hnwns, T. H. PALMER. 

